BRIDGEWATER - Dix Fetzer, the township's first police chief, was a cop's cop.

That's one of the ways he will be remembered at funeral services Saturday afternoon at the Bridgewater Funeral Home in the township's Finderne section. Fetzer, 91, died March 30 in Whitehall, Pennsylvania.

In 1965 Fetzer, whose full name was Dix Russel Michael Fetzer, became the first police chief in Bridgewater, creating the police department and commanding it for 22 years.

During his tenure as chief, Fetzer was an innovator and the police department developed a reputation for excellence, not only in New Jersey, but across the country.

Former Bridgewater Chief Richard Borden, who now serves as a Somerset County undersheriff, was a patrolman under Fetzer in the 1980s. Fetzer appointed Borden as the township's first substance abuse officer, acting as a liaison to Bridgewater-Raritan schools. Bridgewater was one of the first departments in New Jersey to have that position, as Fetzer realized the importance of community policing.

"He was always proactive, thinking 10, 20 years down the road," Borden said.

The members of the department admired Fetzer's work ethic. Every weekday, he was at the office at 6:30 a.m. reviewing the overnight reports, Borden said. The officers also respected Fetzer's integrity.

"You knew exactly where you stood with the chief," Borden said. "Whether good or bad, there was no question as to where you stood in his eyes. He was blunt and straightforward in a good way."

At the 50th anniversary of the department last year, current police Chief Manuel Caravela said that Fetzer set the tone for the department that is still in effect today.

“Chief Fetzer demanded high standards,” Caravela said.

Fetzer was one of the first police chiefs in New Jersey who was not afraid to embrace technology and introduce new programs, Caravela said.

Fetzer began his police career with the New Jersey Division of Motor Vehicles and rose to the rank of lieutenant, which he retained when the agency merged with the New Jersey State Police. He had a degree in criminal justice from Rutgers and retired in 1987.

During World War II, Fetzer served in the Army's Explosive Ordnance Division in the Aleutian Islands. He received two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star.

After the war, he married Ann Hricik in 1945, and they remained married for more than 50 years until her death in 1997.

Visitation at the funeral home will be from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, followed by funeral services at 4:30 p.m.